Summary On 14 December 1996, the FEDERAL CALUMET was shifting from the Unifort Dock to an anchorage to await better weather conditions before completing loading. With a pilot on board and two tugs assisting, the ship departed at about 1225. The tugs were to turn the vessel quickly onto an appropriate easterly heading, giving her a clear run into the prevailing sea and swell. High and confused seas, and a northeast gale, prevented the aft tug from performing the manoeuvre as planned, and the ship drifted to the south. At about 1231, it was noticed that the ship did not appear to be moving or responding to engine or tug movements. The ship was found to have grounded in way of the No. 3 starboard double-bottom tank. The tugs held her in this position until the rising tide refloated her at about 1400. The vessel then proceeded, unassisted, to Sept-les, Quebec, for damage assessment and repairs. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information Particulars of the Vessel The FEDERAL CALUMET arrived at the Port-Cartier pilot station on the morning of 10 December 1996. The pilot advised the master that the ship would dock on arrival at the Unifort dock, some 1.3 miles west-southwest of Port-Cartier harbour. (The master had been expecting to dock in Port-Cartier, rather than at the Unifort dock.) The pilot informed the master that the Unifort dock was unsuitable when the wind and swell were from the northeast through east to the south. He instructed the master to use extra mooring lines. In this instance, six lines forward and six lines aft were to be used to secure the vessel. The pilot also indicated that the agent, pilots and tugs were aware that the FEDERAL CALUMET was stemmed for the Unifort dock, and that if they were needed they would all be available within 30 minutes of a very high frequency (VHF) radio call. Two Voith-Schneider tugs were made fast, one forward and one aft, on the starboard side. The ship approached the dock from the east, swung the bow to the south between the buoys and, once the vessel's stern was clear of the berth, she began to move astern alongside the dock. A stern line was put ashore. However, upon observing the sea conditions alongside, the pilot ordered the line let go, and the vessel went to anchor to await better conditions. The next morning, December 11, the vessel was brought in and secured to the Unifort dock at 0200.[1] The FEDERAL CALUMET was secured with her port side to the berth and her bow heading outward, leaving the forward section of the vessel extending beyond the dock about 115 to 130 feet (35 to 40 m). Cargo operations were from 0800 to 2200, daily, as the vessel loaded unitized wood pulp. Loading was expected to be complete on December 14. As the FEDERAL CALUMET was a new ship on her inaugural visit, a reception was held on board on the evening of Friday, December 13, with representatives of local shipping interests attending. During this time, the master received a weather report forecasting northeast winds. He was again reminded of the adverse swell conditions possible at this berth, the need for a timely departure, and the availability of tugs and a pilot on 30 minutes' notice. The master was later seen on the bridge wing observing the weather. At about 2200 on December 13, the wind freshened and veered to the northeast, accompanied by intermittent snow. The deck crew was put on standby because the FEDERAL CALUMET was being pushed off the berth by the wind. At about 0200 on December 14, the Port-Cartier Port Authority noted the worsening sea conditions, as reported by an inbound pilot. The Port Authority closed the port to cargo vessel movements and, at the same time, the deck crew of the FEDERAL CALUMET was stood down. (The port reopened again at 1800.) Later that morning, during the falling tide, the FEDERAL CALUMET was surging, and was 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m) off the Unifort dock face. Due to the aftward lead of the bow lines, attempts to bring the vessel alongside only succeeded in pulling the vessel aft and closer to the concrete wall astern. The ship's agent, who was also responsible for the stevedores and the loading of the remaining 1,330 tons of cargo, arrived at about 0730. Upon observing the sea conditions, he ordered a pilot and tugs, advising the master to prepare to depart for the anchorage. The pilot arrived at about 0840, but he was unable to board until the tugs arrived and pushed the vessel back alongside at 0905. The pilot was not informed beforehand of the vessel's draught of 31.7 feet (9.65 m). As low water was at about 1000, he determined that a safe departure could not be made at this time. His main concern was the insufficient underkeel clearance to cross over a 32 feet (9.8 m) patch located 300 feet (91 m) west of the end of the dock. It was decided that one tug would remain pushing on the ship, easing the strain on the lines. The pilot and the other tug would return later when there was sufficient underkeel clearance. The pilot was also anticipating problems with another vessel in Port-Cartier. The agent contacted the pilot at about 1100, to move the vessel out and thereby to reduce the tug costs. The pilot reboarded the ship at 1205 and, after a discussion with the master about the intended manoeuvre, the lines were singled up. The tugs were positioned fore and aft, initially to push the vessel against the berth. The line of the aft tug was secured to the vessel so that the tug could quickly pull the stern away from the berth once the mooring lines were clear. When the last line from ashore was clear at 1225, the aft tug began to pull the vessel's stern away from the dock. At the same time the forward tug, in conjunction with the vessel's bow thruster, was holding the bow in close proximity to the corner of the dock. When there was sufficient room between the dock and the vessel's quarter, the aft tug recovered her line and went to the port quarter to push the stern out. However, the swell conditions on the port quarter did not allow the tug to push as required, so she returned to the starboard quarter to re-secure her towline. During this short interval, the FEDERAL CALUMET, with little headway on, without the use of the aft tug and with the force of the northeast gale upon her, drifted to the south. As a result of this drifting, the vessel ran aground on the northern portion of the rock shoal lying just to the south of the berth. The master noticed the vessel's unusual movement and lack of response to a full-ahead engine order and informed the pilot that he thought the vessel had grounded. The time was noted as 1231. The two tugs, the main engine and the bow thruster were used to prevent further movement onto the rocks. Soundings confirmed that only the No. 3 double bottom water ballast tank was holed, on the starboard side. Although arrangements were made for a tug from Sept-les to assist the FEDERAL CALUMET, a three-hour wait for her arrival precluded any immediate help. Marine Communications and Traffic Services was informed of the vessel's situation at about 1340. However, the tide was rising and so, with the combination of tugs, main engine and bow thruster, the vessel came free at about 1359. Prior to counterflooding to correct the list, further soundings confirmed the integrity of the other tanks. The pilot disembarked at 1425 and, along with the tugs, returned to Port-Cartier. There was no pollution as a result of this occurrence. Damage The bottom shell plating and associated bottom structure were damaged only in way of the No. 3 double-bottom water ballast tank, on the starboard side. The shell was indented from frame 136 to frame 166 and from the bilge keel to a point 16.4 feet (5.0 m) inboard of the bilge keel. The maximum indentation depth was about 1.6 feet (0.5 m) and there were some 13 cracks and punctures at various locations. The transverse and longitudinal floors, the web frames and longitudinal stiffeners were found buckled and detached at various locations throughout the indentation. The inner bottom and associated structure were found to be unaffected. The nature of the damage, as seen in an underwater video, indicated that the motion of the vessel was more lateral than forward at the time of grounding. On the radio advice of the agent, the FEDERAL CALUMET proceeded slowly (to reduce hull stresses) to Sept-les without informing or getting authorization from Transport Canada, Marine Safety. She arrived and anchored in Sept-les Bay, without further incident, at 1954 on December 14. A berth was arranged and divers assessed the damage. Repairs were completed to class satisfaction, and the vessel departed for the Far East on December 28, without the balance of her cargo. Pilotage and Tug Service In Port-Cartier, pilotage is compulsory and is provided by the Quebec Cartier Mining Company (QCM) under standard pilotage conditions. The details are set out in the company's publication Advice for Vessels Bound for Port-Cartier, Qubec, Canada, which was effective from 01 April 1996. The pilots are employed by QCM, and are not required to be federally licensed, as this is a private port. Nonetheless, aspiring pilots undergo a strict apprenticeship, peer evaluation and selection prior to attending the ship-handling course at Revel, France. This process is followed by further training, peer evaluation, and examination before status as a QCM pilot is granted. Refresher and upgrading training are provided when required. All the pilots have previous merchant marine experience. Before any vessel movement is made, it is customary for a pilot to advise a vessel's master, and the tugs, of his intentions and anticipated manoeuvres. Additionally, when a vessel is bound for the Unifort dock, the master is routinely informed of the added risk in easterly wind and swell conditions, and he is informed that he should not delay in asking for assistance to prevent the vessel from becoming trapped with too great a draught at a low tide. He is also informed that the ship's agent is aware of the special circumstances at this dock. The pilots prefer to move a vessel out before the wind and swell conditions increase the risk, especially if the vessel extends beyond the dock and is deeply laden, as it was in this instance. This departure procedure, devised by the pilots, has been used since 1975. The pilot on the FEDERAL CALUMET has nine years' piloting experience in addition to having been a tug master in this port for eight years. Tug service is compulsory and is provided in accordance with the standard towing conditions of the aforementioned Advice for Vessels document. Both tugs are 108.4 feet (33 m) long, are of Voith-Schneider design and were built in 1973. Each tug has two main engines providing a total of 3600 BHP. Each tug has two crews, each consisting of a master, a deck-hand and an engineer, all of whom work 12-hour shifts. These tugs are highly manoeuvrable, but require a deep draught due to their cycloidal propellers. It is generally accepted that their maximum thrust is about 25 per cent less than the thrust of a nozzle-equipped screw tug of equal power. In a typical vessel departure from the Unifort dock, the forward tug holds the bow steady and in close proximity to the corner of the dock while the aft tug initially pulls and then pushes the stern off. The tug masters positioned aft consider it safer to push as soon as possible, using the full power of the tug in the limited space available. Also, sea conditions in this confined area can be very rough, greatly increasing the risk of a towline parting. The deep draught of the tug also limits the pulling radius of action during these times. There is little forward movement required of the departing vessel, as the tugs turn her quickly onto an appropriate easterly heading, giving her a clear run into the prevailing sea and swell. Anecdotal evidence indicates that this was not the first time that tugs had been used to hold vessels alongside this dock on an hourly basis. Sometimes vessels need to be held in position while they await sufficient underkeel clearance for departure. Agents have regularly complained about the cost of this procedure. Unifort Dock The Unifort dock is owned by the town of Port-Cartier, which leases it to Unifort. Stevedoring services at the dock are provided to Unifort by Federal Marine Terminals, which also acts as agent for the ships at the Unifort dock and at the Port-Cartier harbour. The agent is aware of the special difficulties of this dock and the need for a timely departure when sea conditions are worsening. The dock has less-than-adequate fendering protection, especially on the south-west corner. Pilots have frequently complained that the fendering is inadequate, and that the town has made no substantial fendering improvements in response to their complaints. The dock was built around 1975 to accommodate vessels about 500 feet (152 m) in length. The vessels now using the dock are generally longer and at a deeper draught. At a dock users' meeting held in October 1995 (prior to the occurrence), pilots had expressed their discomfort with manoeuvring vessels greater than 550 feet (168 m) long, with an arrival draught greater than 30 feet (9.14 m). The minutes noted that in the past, vessels had waited too long before vacating the berth, thus placing the vessel, the pilots and the tugs in a serious situation. It was noted that tides affected the sailing time of vessels that had departure draughts over 30 feet (9.14 m), as was the case with the FEDERAL CALUMET.